Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta, Rosemary and Garlic

These Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta, Rosemary and Garlic hit all of the flavor and texture notes. Crispy outer leaves, caramelized golden brown surfaces, and soft tender centers with flavorings of sweet shallots, salty pancetta, floral rosemary, and bright lemon.

I don’t know how it is in your house, but I find that in all of my years of teaching others how to cook brussels sprouts, people tend to have strong feelings about them!

Personally, I love them. But this did come AFTER I learned how to cook them properly. So I always hold out hope that there’s brussels-sprout-love hope for those skeptics out there!

In this post, I hope to teach you the virtues of pan-roasting them – one of my very favorite ways to prepare them.

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make these delicious brussels sprouts:

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

The ingredients to make these brussels sprouts are easy to find and readily available at most any grocery store. If you’re able, I would highly recommend grabbing your brussels sprouts at your local farmer’s market for maximum flavor.

Here are a few ingredient notes:

Brussels sprouts: Although brussels sprouts are available pretty much year round now, they are technically in season October through December, making them a perfect holiday side dish. You can purchase them in bags in the grocery store or on long stalks at the farmer’s market. Either way, you should look for bright green sprouts that are firm and form tight heads. You can use them in a variety of ways, but roasted and caramelized is probably my favorite of all.

Pancetta: Pork belly that is salt-cured and rolled, you can buy it in a thick slice in the weight that you need from a good deli, or you can buy it diced and packaged for you. As it is not smoked, it has a more distinctly pork flavor. If you can’t find pancetta or prefer to add smokiness to the dish, you can easily substitute bacon to equally delicious effect.

Rosemary: The flavor of rosemary complements this dish so well, as its forward flavor can stand up to the assertiveness of the pancetta, garlic and brussels sprouts. Only use fresh rosemary here!

Shallots: In this recipe, the shallots add a subtle hint of onion flavor, but the real magic happens when they transform into caramelized sweetness, which is so nice alongside the other flavors. A good substitute would be red or yellow onion.

Lemon: This recipe calls for both lemon zest and lemon juice. The zest provides a lovely brightness to the earthy dish and the juice provides a shot of acid at the end that rounds out flavors and provides a different more acidic brightness. You should squeeze a little lemon, stir it around and taste before adding more.

Let’s Make Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta, Rosemary and Garlic Together: STEP BY STEP

Steps 1 & 2:

First, prepare the brussels sprouts by trimming off the ends and removing any outer leaves that come loose or don’t look good. Then, cut the brussels sprouts in half.

Next, prepare the rest of the ingredients: slice the shallots, chop the garlic, and pull the rosemary leaves from the stems and set aside.

Steps 3 & 4:

Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the pancetta and cook it until the fat has rendered and it is crispy. Then, remove it from the pan, drain it on paper towels, and set it aside.

Meanwhile, leave the fat in the pan and add the sliced shallots and cook them until starting to soften.

Steps 5 & 6:

When the shallots have started to soften, add the brussels sprouts, garlic and rosemary leaves and toss everything around for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer the whole pan to the oven to roast for about 25 minutes or until fork tender.

Lastly, remove from the oven and stir in the butter, lemon zest and lemon juice.

Serving Suggestions

• These Brussels sprouts make a great fall side dish along with Pumpkin Orzo for Thanksgiving and the end-of-year holidays.
• A great side dish for this Spatchcocked Chicken Recipe that can be done on the grill or roasted in the oven, or these Beer Braised Beef Short Ribs.
• Serve them alongside roasted salmon, beef tenderloin or a pork shoulder.
• Pile them onto a baked sweet potato for a filling meal or with this Sweet Potato Puree.

Storage & Reheating

STORAGE: Keep these brussels sprouts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

REHEATING: To reheat on the stovetop, add the brusssels sprouts to a saute pan over medium heat with a splash of water and heat until warmed through. Or, if you prefer the oven, place them in an oven-proof pan or dish and heat them at 375 until warmed through. You can also reheat them in the microwave, if you wish.

FREEZING: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator the night before you plan to use them before reheating them.

Recipe Card

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